As we work for and support people with differences, we can forget to stop, think and reflect about what we do and how we support people, so our values are at the centre of our thoughts and actions.
Here are some articles that will help. Please let us know what you think of them.
Herb Lovett once co-facilitated a retreat for approximately 30 people and we were asked to reflect on and discuss three questions:
What is service?
What is leadership?
What are values?
(Photo courtesy of Miguel Padrinan)
And then we were asked to think and speak about how to put the three together in an effective way. It was a simple yet incredibly complex issue and discussion. I placed it in my memory system and sometimes recall the event but I have rarely thought about revisiting these questions on a regular basis.
What would happen to organisations and services if these questions were asked very frequently in an honest and deep way? I suspect we would have humble and human services that truly met their purpose.
What will help us make a commitment to this intention? By honouring our own selves and actually creating a real physical and psychological space for that reflection. If we did, then we could work more from our core and inner senses rather than all of the noise and irrelevance we have internally and externally.
Many writers speak of this core in different ways, Otto Scharmer describes it as presencing and Patsy Rodenburg as level two listening. Please take time to learn about their approaches and suggestions so we can serve with heart and quality.
Let’s try for our own sake and that of others.
Thanks
© Civitas Vera (2020)
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